An Evening at Medieval Times

As I  mentioned briefly in my last post, we decided to do Halloween a little differently this year. 

 

For the last three years, October 31st has been cold and rainy.  I've spent tons of money on costumes and candy and my kids freely admitted that they hadn't enjoyed one  bit of it!

So instead of risking the weather and the grumpiness, we asked the kids if we could spend our money differently this year and spend the evening doing something fun as a family. 

What did I come up with?

 

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament!

 

I had wanted to take the kids for ages and this was the perfect opportunity.   And then when I was able to get the seats for half-price I jumped at the chance- and so did the kids!

 

 

What is Medieval Times you might ask?  Well it's basically a big theatrical show that is based loosely on the traditions of the joust.  You have a king, a princess, knights, horses and lots of action!

While you watch you are served dinner "medieval-style" on metal plates without any cutlery - so you have to eat with your hands!

 

Our show was just under an hour away in Toronto.  It runs all year long in a 100 year old show building near Lake Ontario.

 

Inside it is decorated just as a king's castle might be- with crests, flags, armour and weaponry. 

 



This is the king's throne area.  He "knighted" several members of the audience because they were celebrating their birthdays at the tournament.



Before heading into our seats, Bryn was excited to meet this falcon and his handler.  Both played a big part in the show later in the evening. 

When assigned your seats, you are given a crown to match the knight for which you are supposed to cheer.  Our knight, the "Green Knight" fought valiantly, but was put out in the first round!

 

 

No silverware here!  Fingers and napkins only! We ate roasted chicken, cobs of corn and baked potatoes and slurped tomato soup from the handled bowl.

Drinks?  Yup. We had a few.  I guess sangria isn't the usual "medieval" fare, but I don't really like ale!

 

 

This was our host for the night -the Chancellor.  He commentated and help tell the story of the knights and their past battles and victories.

 

The 12 horses involved were all Spanish dressage ponies.  They were amazing! So elegant and perfectly dressed!

 

Afton was presented a flower by the Green Knight.  She was very embarrassed but smiled for a picture afterwards. 

 

 

I wish I could have captured more pictures of the action for you.  It really was fast-paced and exciting- but all too quick to  catch on film.   We saw jousting, sword-fighting, hand to hand combat and beautifully choreographed musical horse rides. 

 

And the kids absolutely adored it! In fact, each one in turn said they had no regrets missing out on the traditional fun of Halloween.

I agreed.  So did my hubby.  It was the perfect night out for the whole family!

 

Have you ever attended a show like this before? 

Ever been to the joust? 

 

Have a wonderful week. 

They are calling for near-summer like temperatures around here - during the first week of November!!

 

 

XOXOXOX

 

Bronwyn